Sapiens International Co. (SPNS) to Issue Semi-Annual Dividend of $0.28 on April 18th

Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS) declared a Semi-Annual dividend on Monday, March 25th, Zacks reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 5th will be given a dividend of 0.28 per share by the technology company on Thursday, April 18th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 4th. This is an increase from Sapiens International’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.26.

Sapiens International has raised its dividend payment by an average of 52.9% annually over the last three years. Sapiens International has a dividend payout ratio of 16.0% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Sapiens International to earn $1.49 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.25 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 16.8%.

Sapiens International Price Performance

NASDAQ SPNS opened at $30.76 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $29.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a current ratio of 2.11. Sapiens International has a 1 year low of $19.91 and a 1 year high of $31.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.46 and a beta of 1.17.

Sapiens International (NASDAQ:SPNS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The technology company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.02. Sapiens International had a net margin of 12.14% and a return on equity of 16.92%. The company had revenue of $130.86 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $130.85 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.31 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Sapiens International will post 1.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Sapiens International from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Sapiens International from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Sapiens International currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.33.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sapiens International

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Sapiens International by 312.5% in the first quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,613 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,222 shares during the last quarter. State of Tennessee Treasury Department bought a new stake in Sapiens International in the second quarter worth $99,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in Sapiens International by 402.5% in the third quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,508 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $124,000 after purchasing an additional 5,213 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Sapiens International by 546.2% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 8,652 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $160,000 after purchasing an additional 7,313 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA boosted its holdings in Sapiens International by 21.6% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA now owns 7,046 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $170,000 after purchasing an additional 1,253 shares in the last quarter. 30.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Sapiens International

Sapiens International Corporation N.V. provides software solutions for the insurance industry in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. The company provides various solutions for property and casualty commercial and personal lines, life and pensions, and reinsurance fields.